London: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi has fiercely rejected the “fugitive” label attached to him, asserting that he has never been convicted of any crime.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Lalit Modi dismissed claims that he is evading Indian authorities, attributing the narrative to media sensationalism rather than legal reality. He argued that successfully hiding from a global power like India while travelling internationally would be impossible.
“I’m not running at all. I’m going all over the world. If I was running, you would be picking me up somewhere or the other. The Indian government has a long arm… You can’t take on the government of India. And I don’t intend to. It’s not the government. It’s the media,” he said.
Lalit Modi also criticised the media environment in India, blaming the absence of strict defamation laws for what he described as relentless media trials.
“You have no libel in your country, in our country. You can say what you want and I sell news,” he said.
Addressing the legal challenges he continues to face, including disciplinary action by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Modi maintained that no criminal case has been successfully established against him.
While he remains under scrutiny over allegations of bid-rigging, money laundering and violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) linked to his departure from India in 2010, he emphasised that no criminal charges have resulted in a conviction.
Lalit Modi also criticised India’s judicial system, describing delays in the legal process as a form of punishment.
“It never gets heard in our country. Justice comes. I don’t know when it comes. The slow justice is a punishment as well. Not a single case against me has been registered. If I have been so bad, and everybody says I’ve been so bad, OK, please, guys, go out and prosecute me,” he said.
When asked whether he intends to return to India to clear his name, Modi indicated that he no longer feels compelled to do so.
“There was a time when I did want to come back. And I had all the reasons to come back. Come back and do what?… I don’t need to prove to anybody,” he said.
He further questioned the legal basis for any potential arrest.
“Arrest you want to do, you have to take me to court. Seventeen years you haven’t taken me to court. How can you arrest me today? If there was something there, it would be out,” Modi stated.
Despite his assertions, Indian authorities continue to pursue investigations related to his tenure as IPL chief. The Enforcement Directorate is probing allegations of financial misconduct, money laundering and unauthorised fund transfers, while the Ministry of External Affairs is pursuing extradition efforts under Indian and international legal frameworks.
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